The harder it is to find and hire the talent you need, the more critical…
By John Borrowman, CPC
Borrowman Baker, LLC, BV Staffing + Consulting
Gallatin, TN
Mis-matched expectations are a big part of why young BVFLS professionals leave. The mismatch starts at the time of hire. Both sides have them, but you’re the only one who can do something about it as the employer.
In the May/June timeframe, two dozen BVFLS staffers took jobs outside the industry. Some did go to BV-adjacent positions in Wealth Management of Investment Banking. All of them left a hole in a practice.
Some of these job changes are purely opportunistic. Few of them would happen, though, without a feeling of mismatch. What can you do about it?
When you interview experienced talent, compare and contrast work from your firm with what the candidate is doing now. A little more A. A little less B. No more C. Clarify expectations with real-world examples.
Compare and contrast the culture. Make sure you include interviews with the candidate’s peers, so the reality of the culture is more fully shared.
When you interview entry-level hires (maybe experienced somewhere else, but not in BVFLS), you have a different challenge. It’s that you’ve known what you know for so long that you’ve forgotten what it’s like not to know it.
Conversations with peers are even more critical. Rather than tell your candidate about expectations, show her. Ask her to do some simple research, writing, or manipulating Excel in the way she would as part of the day-to-day. Make sure she knows that this isn’t about you testing her, it’s about her testing the job.
As a safety net, use our BV Candidate Assessment (details here) to check for fit in thinking style and behavioral traits.
There’s no guarantee you won’t lose someone from your team. You can reduce the odds, though, with careful attention to expectations at the start.
John Borrowman
